A Democratic election in Arizona is a microcosm of the party's infighting

While Tuesday's special election in Arizona may not seem like the type of story to generate nationwide headlines, the race is getting eyes across the country for boiling down the current state of the Democratic Party into a single contest. The primary election, being held in Arizona's 7th Congressional District to replace Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died in March, has become a battle between establishment Democrats and the new faces of the progressive movement.

Who is running?

The fight for the blue district has largely come down to three candidates: Deja Foxx, Adelita Grijalva and Daniel Hernandez. Grijalva, the daughter of the deceased representative, is a former Pima County supervisor who has "sought to strike a balance between pitching herself as a continuation of her father's establishment-bucking progressive legacy and embracing the broad support she's received from Democratic groups and leaders," said CNN. The 54-year-old Grijalva is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race.

At just 25, Foxx has "made her name in viral moments standing up to politicians" and "would become the youngest member of Congress," said The Guardian. She would also be part of the new wave of Gen-Z Congress members. Hernandez, a 35-year-old former state representative, was "at the 2011 shooting of then-Rep. Gabby Giffords" and is "also pulling in significant support." Arizona's 7th District is solidly liberal, meaning that "whoever wins the Democratic primary is the likely victor in the general election."

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What are the broader implications?

No matter who wins, the "impact of the race will reverberate beyond Arizona," said the Arizona Republic. It will "modestly tilt the balance of power on Capitol Hill," given Republicans' razor-thin majority. But the bigger picture is that the primary could "provide clues as to Democratic voters' mood at a time when their 2024 election losses and President Donald Trump's second-term actions have put them on the back foot."

With younger Democrats looking to usurp power from establishment candidates, the race has "drawn attention, and money, from some national players," said the Republic. Grijalva has endorsements from notable progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), while Foxx has gotten the backing of former Co-Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee David Hogg, who has lambasted the party's establishment.

Questions "over seniority and age in the party have loomed over the race," especially since "three Democrats died in office this year," said The Guardian. And after newcomer Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor in an upset, Democrats are "looking across the country at how candidates who buck the status quo, and who communicate well to voters and on social media, will fare."

With the race coming to a head, there is no doubt that the primary has become "part of a broader nationwide conversation among Democrats about the ages of their party's elected leaders and the desire for generational change," said NBC News. And even the candidates themselves acknowledge that age plays a large factor in the party's future. "We have lost ground with young people as a party for the first time in decades, and it's not enough to just put our members of Congress on TikTok, right, or brief them on the trends or put mini-mics in their face," Foxx told NBC. "We need to give young people real leadership."